Friday, May 18, 2012

Employment Discrimination

Employment Discrimination

Employment discrimination is the secernment of an individual on work based on sex, race, national origin, citizenship, language abilities, disability on physical characteristics, belief, religion and age, also height or weight and place of origin by employers. This discrimination can also mean unequal treatment of an employee to another employee. Usually, there is bias of individuals in recruitment, hiring, wage, job position, job responsibilities and layoffs. Furthermore, this discrimination causes people to engage in poor work, pessimistic manpower, weakened feeling on the worker, negative issues for the people as well as lower income to the company. In order to eliminate discrimination at work, Employment Discrimination Law was promulgated, therefore should be followed such as the title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination based on color, gender, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, and sex, including sexual harassment; Equal Pay Act which addresses unequal pay related to gender; and Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) which helps protects employees who are 40 years of age or older (hg.org, 2012). In the Philippines, we have article 135 of the Labor Code saying that “it shall be unlawful for any employer to discriminate against any woman employee with respect to terms and conditions of employment solely on account of her sex” (Article 135, LCP), and Employee’s right to self-organization and the right to strike (must comply with the Department of Labor and Employment Guidelines) saying that employees can voice out their interests, complaints and demands for negotiation with their employer (1987 Constitution and Labor Code of the Philippines). People must know the law to know their rights and exercise it to protect them from unfair treatment (Remember: Ignorance of the law is not an excuse), learn to accept diversity, be a good employer and employee, government agencies and private entities must comply with the labor laws, and respect our differences (businessaccent.com, 2012). People must enjoy the equal opportunities at work because if they are happy with their work and on their healthy relationship with their colleagues, they will strive more, learn more, therefore progress more because there is no hindrance on their mental and emotional development.